Michael George unpacks the hidden truth behind Monopoly's origin, revealing how Lizzie Magie created the game that inspired it. Journalist Mary Pilon and collector Tom Forsyth explain how Magie's anti-monopoly message was lost and how Charles Darrow took the credit.

Monopoly, one of the world's most popular board games, is commonly attributed to Charles Darrow, who sold the game to Parker Brothers and became wealthy. However, the game's origins lie with Lizzie McGee, who patented The Landlord's Game in 1904 as an educational tool to highlight the dangers of monopolies and unfair taxation.

McGee's creation was adapted and modified over the years, eventually reaching Darrow, who commercialized it as Monopoly. While Darrow profited greatly, McGee was paid only $500 for her rights and received no royalties or widespread recognition. The intended message of her original game—that monopolies harm society—was largely lost as Monopoly became a symbol of financial success. Recent efforts have sought to restore McGee's place in the game's history.

The story behind Monopoly and the woman erased from its history

For 90 years, the board game Monopoly has been a family favorite, with its iconic board, quirky game pieces, and of course, all that money, money, money. The beloved game is an American original, or is it? As Michael George shows us, the story behind Monopoly has dramatic twists and turns, worthy of the game itself. Advance to go, collect $200, those little green houses and red hotels, and family arguments over properties. Monopoly is a uniquely American cultural institution. As long as people are interested in money, they're going to be interested in Monopoly. Journalist Mary Pilon is the author of The Monopolists, which tells the history of the game. So the legend of Monopoly is that this man named Charles Darrow invented the game during the height of the Great Depression, and that game goes on to become this massive bestseller. It makes him into a millionaire, it saves Parker Brothers, this beloved game company, from the brink of destruction. Is that the whole story of how this game was created? It's an amazing story. We love Cinderella stories, and that's part of why it has persisted, but it's not square with the facts. Board game enthusiast Tom Forsythe says he found this old, dusty game belonging to his grandfather. And, just like Monopoly, it's also got four railroads, jail, chance cards, and properties to buy. Its name? The Landlord's Game. This has a 1904 patent on it. Monopoly has a 1935 patent on it. Something's not right. The Landlord's Game was created by a woman named Lizzie McGee. Elizabeth McGee was a really fascinating person. Before women could vote, she was getting patents, she was writing poetry, she wrote short stories, she was very politically minded. She created the Landlord's Game as an educational tool to teach people about unfair taxation. You look at this card, caught robbing the public. The game was a modest success. Then, a group of Quakers modified the game, naming the properties after famous locations in Atlantic City, like Boardwalk and Park Place. It's a version of this Atlantic City Quaker game that Charles Darrow learns from a friend and then goes on to sell to Parker Brothers. Monopoly soon became a blockbuster hit. Lizzie McGee catches wind of this, and she is not happy. So she lashes out, I have patents for these games. I created this. Parker Brothers decided to pay McGee for the rights to her Landlord's Game. $500, that's it. Correct. $500 and no royalties. McGee died in 1948, working as a receptionist. So basically, she died unknown and penniless, or very, very poor. And Charles Darrow became a multi-millionaire famous. And it turns out, the way we play Monopoly is not what McGee had in mind. When we play Monopoly, a monopoly is a good thing. That's how you win the game. Lizzie McGee did not intend for monopolies to be seen as a good thing. Correct. Lizzie McGee was an anti-monopolist. Her original game was supposed to teach us that monopolies are evil, and that we need to break things apart and cooperate. But however we play the game, Pylon thinks it's not too late to give Lizzie McGee her due. I think it's taken just a hundred years, but finally Lizzie McGee is being acknowledged. So think about this. When you play Monopoly with your family, how does it end? One person gets rich. In tears. Yep. Everybody else gets mad. Everybody else goes bankrupt. Lizzie McGee hoped that we'd take a message from that, that monopolies hurt the little guy. I did not know that. When I first started playing Monopoly, it was fun, right? You get the family together. But as a young-minded teenager, I thought that monopolizing something was a good thing. I thought that's the American dream. If you can monopolize it and make money, that's how you win. That's how you win. The one who has the most toys wins. When I got older, I realized it isn't a positive thing. She meant the exact opposite of that. That's incredible. I'm so happy that she's getting it. $500 for the rights to this game. And died as a receptionist. I'm happy that you are bringing her story to life. And died as a receptionist. I'm happy that you are bringing her story to life. I'm glad that more people will know about her because it is sort of a shame. And it's happened throughout the course of history that people have gotten shafted like that. And I'm glad that now we know who she is. I wonder if any of her relatives will get any kickback at some point. That'd be nice. And get what she deserved. Mom Parker Brothers, step up. Do the right thing. Do the right thing. All right, Michael, thank you so much. That was incredible. That's good stuff, man. I didn't know all that.

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